Ninjas Don't Cry
by LullabyDust
Summary: and wizards don't lie. But they do, don't they? Fai has made a huge mistake and Kurogane must pay to fix it. How will they spend their last six months together? KuroFai. WARNING: Character death.
1. If You Come Around Again

_~ Suggested listening: The Chain by Ingrid Michaelson. ~_

~X~X~

Kurogane had sworn to himself that once he was back in his world, he was done with witches. There would be no more. He hated the blasted witch and her lopsided 'deals', the way she manipulated and controlled everything so that the outcome was always in her favor. There would be none of that, he promised himself. But he had also sworn to protect Fai no matter what the cost, and he knew which oath was more important to him.

So here he was again, kneeling in front of the witch, clutching Fai's limp body to his chest. When did the mage get so thin? Kurogane should have noticed that. Should've paid more attention to the cuts on his wrist, the way he started faking his smiles again, the-

"Why are you here, Kurogane?"

If Kurogane looked anywhere other than the ground before him, he was going to cry. Ninjas didn't cry.

"I want you to bring him back," he whispered. Yuko sighed heavily.

"His time is gone, Kurogane. I cannot simply pull more time out of thin air."

"Then give him mine."

Yuko looked at him sadly. "Because he is already gone, the exchange will not be equal. Your remaining time will only give him six months, and leave you with six. Do you accept these terms?"

Kurogane looked at Fai's pale face and felt tears spring to his eyes. He blinked them back furiously. _Ninjas don't cry._

"Yes."

"Very well then. Your time is your price." Yuko extended one arm and rested it on Fai's forehead. A bright light engulfed her hand and slowly spread over Fai's entire body. When it subdued, Kurogane felt light headed and weak. He could barely hold Fai. But when he looked down at the mage's body, relief flooded through him. The color had returned to his cheeks, and his chest rose and fell evenly. He was asleep. If not for the blood staining his clothes, Kurogane could almost convince himself he had just been sleeping the entire time.

"And now, I assume, you would like to return to Japan?"

Kurogane nodded, unable to speak. Yuk frowned.

"I cannot send you back directly, but you may take Mokona once more. Remember, though, that there is no guarantee you will make it back to your world before your time is gone."

Kurogane worked his jaw until he found his voice again. "For what price?" If he had to pay a price like Syaoran's, he would just as soon stay in this world, witch be damned. Yuko laughed.

"Your sword will do. While not as important to you as Ginryu, the rest of your price is covered by your sorrow and your tears."

_Ninjas don't cry._ But he had cried, hadn't he?

"I accept," he said softly, as the white pork bun bounced over to them and settled contentedly on Kurogane's shoulder. Before he could reach for his sword, it flew out of his grasp and into Yuko's hands. He tried to stand up, but his knees buckled and he collapsed back on the ground. Fai's eyes fluttered for a moment, but he didn't wake up.

"Also, as a gift-" Kurogane looked up sharply. The witch didn't give gifts. "-Fai will not remember the past three weeks. You may tell him what happened, or lie, or simply leave him to guess. It is up to you."

Kurogane frowned. He would pay for this later, he was sure, but he nodded.

He looked at Fai again. He was _breathing._ He was alive, and that was all Kurogane cared about.

Ninjas don't cry. But sometimes they do.

~X~X~

_~ 100 Themes Challenge #24: No time._

_Originally supposed to be a oneshot, but yes, this is going to be a chaptered fic. At least five more chapters but I'm not guaranteeing any more than that._

_I apologize for Kurogane's OOCness. He's going to be a little OOC still, but I'll try to mostly keep him the same. The reason being that since he and Fai have been together, he's been a lot… calmer, I dunno. Actually, yeah, that's the perfect word ^^ But he's pissed off at Fai right now so his original personality will come back, don't worry._

_Reviews will be loved, polished, and displayed on a shelf. Reviewers will be given cookies and a free puppy. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows and make smores. Constructive criticism is welcome, though ^^ I require five reviews per chapter before I update. Why? Cuz I'm a review whore, that's why, and I don't care why I'm getting reviews as long as I get my fix. ~_


	2. Waiting on an Angel

_~ I apologize ahead of time for major OOCness and horribly stiff and awkward dialogue, unless my new beta is a saint and magically fixes that up for me. I'll make up for it next chapter, I promise! *is shot*_

_Suggested listening: Waiting on an Angel by Ben Harper ~_

Kurogane twisted his head to look at the alarm clock. 9:08. He sighed and looked at Fai, sleeping peacefully beside him, twisted in his arms_. Six months_. He quietly, carefully untangled himself, then stood up and slipped on a shirt. He glanced back at Fai, still in his bloodied clothes. He'd been too weak last night to change him. He stood there for a long time, debating whether or not he could change him without waking him up.

Ultimately, he decided to take off the shirt- since that was where most of the blood was anyway- and leave it at that. He managed to do so without any problems and left the room.

He found Mokona bouncing off the walls in what resembled a living room, but smaller since they were only in a hotel.

"Yay! Kuro-pu's finally awake!" it squealed, pouncing on the ninja's head. Kurogane growled as he pried him off. "Mokona missed him SO much!"

"Yeah, that's great. Where are we, manju?" he demanded and watched a frown form on the small creature's face.

"Mokona doesn't know for sure," it informed him. "Mokona's never been here before."

"Best guess."

"America!" sang Mokona happily. "Mokona's never been, but Mokona has heard stories and can't wait to explore!"

"Hold up," growled Kurogane, grabbing the pork bun by the ears as it tried to bound towards the door. "There's something important I need you to do."

"What's that?"

"I need you to watch him," Kurogane said firmly, nodding his head towards the sleeping Fai. Mokona stopped swinging back and forth and looked at him.

"But that's boring; he's just sleeping!" it complained. Kurogane sighed and sat down on the couch.

"Listen, this is really important. When he wakes up, I need you to watch him. _Carefully._ Don't let him go out and don't let him out of your sight, not even for a minute. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" said Mokona, attempting and failing at a salute with its short arms. Kurogane nodded and set it down on the coffee table, standing back up.

"I'll be back in an hour or two," he said over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

~X~X~

When Fai opened his eyes, he didn't recognize where he was. This wasn't Kurogane's room inside Shirasagi palace, but it obviously wasn't outside either, like where he sometimes ended up when he and Kurogane snuck away in the middle of the night. He noticed something else interesting:

Kurogane wasn't there.

Kurogane was always there, his comforting scent lingering in the air: sweat, dirt, heat, and sake- always sake, no matter how long it had been since he last drank. It was a scent only Kurogane could make pleasant, and as Fai sniffed the air he could tell there was just a hint of it, clinging to the bed sheets. Kurogane had been here, but was gone now. That wasn't the only scent though; he could smell… blood. His own though, not Kurogane's, so it didn't bring out the vampire in him. Still, he wondered…

He racked his brain for memories of what had happened, but the last thing he remembered was a banquet in Tomoyo's honor, celebrating her marriage to a prince in another country to unify their lands. Tomoyo seemed happy, as he recalled; it was an arranged marriage, but one she was content with.

But why was he here? This room didn't even resemble the ones he had grown accustomed to in Nihon. It was more… modern, like the ones he had seen in the majority of the worlds they had traveled to when- come to think of it, there was another scent in the room-

"Fai is awake! Hooray!" Mokona squealed, pouncing on the blonde's legs. Fai jumped.

"Mokona!" he exclaimed, too surprised to compose himself. "What are you doing here?"

"Mokona is taking Fai and Kurogane to new worlds, just like last time, silly!" Mokona spoke with an almost scolding tone. "Mokona should be asking Fai what _he's_ doing here!"

"I… I don't know, really," admitted Fai, furrowing his brow as he tried to think. "Where is Kurogane?"

"He left just an hour ago!"

"Did he now?" Fai swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled back the covers, standing up. But as he started towards the other room, Mokona jumped on his shoulder and clung to him tightly. Fai smiled. "Is something wrong?"

"Mokona's decided to stay with Fai aaaaall day! That way, Fai's not alone, not even for a little bit!"

"Oh, so I can't even go to the restroom?"

"Oh," said Mokona, and slid off him, landing on the bed with a plop. "Okay. But just for a minute, promise?"

Fai laughed and patted it on the head. "Promise!" He slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, twisting the handle to make sure it was locked securely. He turned around and pressed his back to the door, slowly sliding to the floor. The tile was hard and cold and he shivered without his shirt on. He slid his hand into his pocket and slender fingers closed on the delicate knife he always kept there.

He stared at his wrist for a few seconds; there was a long cut, lengthwise, that he couldn't remember making. It was completely healed so it obviously wasn't serious. Perhaps he had just run the blade over the skin lightly, not really making a cut? He sighed and slid the knife over his wrist, the thin red line already lost amidst a dozen others.

It was an immediate release, a calming normality that helped him focus; let him know he was in control. His breathing came easier and his head cleared, though he still couldn't remember how he got there. He ran cool water from the faucet over his wrist until the bleeding stopped, then splashed some across his face and used one of the hotel's towels to dry off.

He stepped out of the bathroom right as the other door opened, and Kurogane walked in. He froze when he saw Fai. For a moment, Fai thought he had stopped breathing.

"Kuro-tan?"

Kurogane dropped the bags he was carrying on the floor and strode across the room, grabbed Fai by the waist and pulled him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around Fai's shoulders and slid his fingers through his hair, sighing against Fai's lips. It was almost like he was… relieved.

"Kuro-chu, what's going on?" Fai demanded when he finally pulled away. He peered at Kurogane closely. His cheeks shone with wetness, and Fai gasped. "Kuro-puppy, are you crying?"

Kurogane looked away.

"Ninjas," he finally muttered, "don't cry."

And then he walked away, picked the bags up off the floor, and walked past Fai into the other room, shutting the door behind him so he couldn't see.

~X~X~

_~ So. I have not slept in… *counts* 32 hours. So please forgive the uber-OOCness, the horrible dialogue, and terrible writing. Except my awesome beta fixed that for me, so there actually isn't much left to apologize for except for a little OOCness that even she could not salvage. If I actually get some sleep in the near future, I might go back and rework this. But don't get your hopes up because we all know how lazy I am. =.=_

_I just got a beta, like, yesterday ^^ I really need someone to check my work for typos and help me pick out a song to go with each chapter, as recently I've been spending more time looking for the song than writing the actual fic T.T So infinite thanks to ShingetsuXMangetsu, otherwise known as Luna, who in addition to being a good online friend, a black belt in tae kwon do, and a wonderful beta, is a fabulous writer of KuroFais herself. So check her out ^^_

_Also, Luna-san has been given full artistic license on all my future fics, so please forgive any random changes in writing style in the middle of the story 0.o_

_A reply to Mimi the anonymous reviewer: please, please, please get an account, with sugar and a cherry on top? You've reviewed several of my stories and I can't reply to them unless you have account. T.T Also, in regard to your review of Maybe, Maybe: You realize that was a suicide fic, right? Kurogane and Fai are both dead. Sorry, sweetie _DX

_Reviews will be loved, polished, and displayed on a shelf. Reviewers will be given cookies and a free puppy. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows and make smores, which will be passed out to all the nice reviewers. Five reviews for a new chappie, please :) ~_


	3. Bring On the Flood

_~ Suggested listening: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood by Neko Case. Thanks to Luna-rin for finding the song. ~_

~X~X~

Fai knew something was wrong.

Kurogane didn't cry; it simply wasn't in his nature. Actually, ninjas, as a general rule, did not cry. Fai had learned this after just a month in Nihon.

A ninja from another court had managed to slip past Shirasagi guards and into the main palace. They'd gotten into the throne room while Tomoyo had been holding court and whipped a deceptively small throwing knife at her. Fai, who'd been standing next to her, pushed her behind him and Souma, acting on instinct, pushed herself in front of him. The end result had been a four inch blade embedded in her stomach and, she had cried out in pain at first, eyes brimming with tears- but not a single one had slid down her cheeks.

So it was rather settled in Fai's mind that ninjas did not cry, especially not _his_ ninja.

Also, Kurogane did not buy him flowers. Once in Nihon, while walking through the palace gardens, Kurogane had stopped suddenly and plucked a white rose from its thorny vine, tucking it carefully in Fai's hair and placing a light kiss on his cheek. He had never gone out of his way to purchase a bouquet of flowers for him though. They were carnations, which meant friendship- Tomoyo had had told him that once as she tossed a bouquet of them in the trash. He didn't mind, in fact he _loved_ them. It was just… _odd._

And Kurogane still hadn't told him why they were here in America, as opposed to the Japan he remembered falling asleep in. But Kurogane had never really been good at explaining things.

The biggest indicator that something was wrong was when he woke up the next morning before Kurogane, slipped quietly into the bathroom, and discovered that his knife was gone.

Fai stared at his empty hands and scarred wrists numbly.

_No._

He _needed_ this; already he could feel control slipping past his open fingers, his breathing coming in ragged, uneven gasps. He pressed his forehead against the wall and forced himself to calm down. After a minute he splashed some water on his face and checked his appearance in the mirror, making sure his smile was convincing. It was a bit shaky, but believable. He flicked off the lights and left.

It was only a little after six in the morning; Kurogane wouldn't usually be up for another two hours. Fai sighed and slipped under the covers again.

This wasn't like Kurogane, he decided, staring up at the ceiling. When there was a problem, Kurogane yelled, argued, and got angry. He hit things, though he'd never once hit Fai, and he dealt with it upfront and openly. He didn't just quietly eliminate whatever he thought was the source of the problem.

Something was definitely going on, something that had started between the banquet and when he woke up. Fai wasn't even sure that that time span was only one night anymore. It could have been a week for all he knew- after all, he _didn't_ know. He couldn't remember.

~X~X~

_~ Short chappie, I apologize ^^' I just wanted to post it before tomorrow. Next one will be up tomorrow, regardless of the number of reviews, though they're still loved :)_

_Lots of love and thanks to Luna-san (ShingetsuXMangetsu), my awesomeful beta :3_

_Flames will be used to roast marshmallows and make smores, which will be passed out to all the nice reviewers. ~_


	4. Sightseeing

Kurogane woke up at eight o'clock without an alarm. He lay in bed for another twenty minutes, just listening to Fai's even breathing, eventually convincing himself it was real. He rolled over and kissed Fai on the forehead, waking him up. Fai smiled up at him.

"Good morning, Kuro-wanpa!" he cooed as Kurogane growled his displeasure at the nickname, despite the slow grin spread across his face. He was starting to adjust to the fact that Fai was _alive._ He had only been without the mage for less than a day, but the choking desperation he had felt was enough to make him consider following in his footsteps. That was, until he remembered the witch...

Kurogane shifted so that he was lying over top of Fai, pushing those thoughts aside and kissing him on the lips instead. "Good morning," he mumbled between kisses. Fai laughed.

"And what's got you in such a good mood today?" he whispered and Kurogane shrugged, giving him one last kiss before climbing out of bed and pulling a shirt on.

"YAY! MOKONA'S SO HAPPY YOU'RE AWAKE!"

The moment they walked into the other room, they were bombarded with an even more hyper than usual Mokona. Fai snatched it out of the air as it bounced excitedly around the room and held it up at eye level.

"Mokona, did you call room service?" he inquired playfully.

"Nooooooo…" Mokona said slowly after a moment's hesitation. Out of the corner of his eye, Fai spotted a pile of soda cans that hadn't been there when he'd woken up earlier.

"Oh really? So all those empty soda-cans don't belong to you, eh?"

"Nope!" Mokona wiggled out of his grasp and bounced around some more. "When do we get to go _sightseeing?"_

"_You_ get to stay _here,"_ Kurogane growled, but Fai shot him a disapproving look complete with pout.

"Oh, come on, Kuro-grumpy! Surely it can't hurt to take him with us! Besides, how else will people understand us?"

Kurogane considered this; the mage had a good point. Fai had learned Japanese of course- stumbling over himself at first and mostly relying on Kurogane to understand and translate for him- and Kurogane had even picked up a few words of French, but neither of them spoke a word of English.

"Fine, whatever," he grumbled while Mokona cheered. "But we're getting something to eat first."

~X~X~

Breakfast consisted of a small salad for Fai, a plate of eggs and bacon for Kurogane, and half the remaining buffet for Mokona, who ate like it hadn't seen food in months.

"So, where to first Kuro-pu?" Fai wondered as they left the hotel's restaurant. Kurogane frowned.

"I found this girl yesterday when I went out," he said slowly, trying to recall where it was exactly he had found her. "She said we were in Washington and offered to show us around today. It was this way," he decided, not really sure but unwilling to let Fai know this. After ten minutes they found the small shop they had been looking for and Fai followed Kurogane inside.

A girl with long black hair was bent over at the register, adding something up on a sheet of paper. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, tallying something in her head, then scribbled it down on the paper and smiled at Kurogane.

"Hey there! Come back for a tour? I'm just finishing up here," She stabbed at a key on the register. "Where's the friend you were talking about?"

"He's-"

Kurogane turned around to find that Fai was completely frozen in the doorway, partially hidden behind a stand of flowers and staring at the girl. He frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Fai's eyes flicked to him and he smiled, forcing himself to relax. "Nothing," He said. He stepped all the way into the shop and smiled at the girl. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Fai."

"Melissa."

Fai's smile seemed to flicker for a second, but then it was back. Melissa put her pencil and paper in a drawer and closed the cash register with a _ding_. Grabbing a key off a hook on the wall, she led them outside and locked up the shop. "So," she said, turning to face them. "Where to?"

"Well, what's there to see?" Fai wondered. Melissa cocked an eyebrow.

"Really? You come to the nation's capital and you can't think of a single landmark to visit?"

Fai shrugged helplessly. "Someplace… romantic?" he tried. Kurogane buried his face in his hands while Melissa burst out laughing.

"_Romantic?_ In Washington, DC? You two really aren't from around here. Where _are_ you from, anyway?"

"Nihon," said Kurogane at the same time that Fai replied, "Celes."

"You speak amazing English for foreigners." She paused, thinking. "How about we start in Chinatown? It's just a few blocks away."

"Sure," said Kurogane.

Soon they found themselves passing under a huge archway, ornately carved with red, green and gold detailing.

"Welcome to Chinatown," Melissa said, spreading her arms. "In all its glorious… um… glory."

Kurogane frowned; except for the archway and a few similarly decorated store fronts, it looked exactly like the rest of the city they had seen.

"What's so special about it?"

Melissa shrugged. "Nothing much… There's a few good oriental shops, nice antiques. Best Chinese food in the state. You want to be here for the Chinese New Year, though. It's _amazing."_

"When is it?" Fai asked.

"It's actually only a few days away; how long are you two planning to stay?"

"Good question," said Fai, glancing sidelong at Kurogane, who ignored the look and shrugged.

"Depends."

"Well, if you can, come back in three days. I'll come with, if you like."

"That sounds wonderful," Fai smiled. He felt Mokona shifting around in the backpack Kurogane had forced it into and he adjusted the straps slightly until it settled, hoping Melissa didn't notice the movement. She seemed oblivious though, pausing on the front steps of a clothing shop. She peered over her shoulder at Fai.

"You up for some shopping?"

Fai grinned. "Any time," he said, grabbing a protesting Kurogane by the arm and dragging him in.

The store was small, but, despite how it looked on the outside, clean and well-lit. Clothes of all styles were hung on racks lining the wall. An older man who looked asleep started at the sound of the shop bell ringing and smiled at them.

"Ah, Melissa-chan! Good to see you again. I see you've brought friends."

Melissa bowed respectfully.

"Nihao, Ryanban-san, this is Fai-san and Kurogane-san." She motioned to Fai and Kurogane. Ryanban nodded.

"It's always nice to have new customers," he remarked. "Have a look around, see what you like. Let me know if you need anything." With that, he tilted his head back and seemed to fall asleep again.

Kurogane sighed and leaned against the wall, already bored. He had only stopped complaining because Fai seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Ooh, Fai, this would look _great_ on you, don't you think?" Melissa held up a blue shirt with an oriental, asymmetrical neckline and a pattern of a cherry blossom tree silhouetted on the back

"You're right, it's so cute!"

"Is it your size?"

Fai held up the shirt to his chest, laying it flat to see if it would fit.

"Yes!" He exclaimed happily. Melissa took it and lay it down on the counter.

This exact conversation was repeated every sixty seconds with a different piece of clothing. Kurogane eyed the growing pile nervously, unsure if he would be able to pay for all of it. After about twenty minutes, Melissa seemed to finally remember him standing in the corner, uninterested.

"You know, there's a shop next door that sells old swords and weapons and stuff, if you're more into that," she told him. Kurogane hesitated; he needed a new sword, _again,_ after giving up his old one to the witch, but he wasn't sure about leaving Fai here with someone he barely knew.

"I'll wait," he decided. "We can all go when you're done."

"Oh, go on ahead, Kuro-pu! We'll be over in a few minutes," Fai urged, smiling. Kurogane frowned. "I'll be fine," he was assured. Kurogane sighed and left.

The moment Kurogane stepped on to the sidewalk, someone slammed into him and almost knocked him over. He caught his balance, then quickly reached out and grabbed the man's arm.

"Hey, watch where you're going," he growled. The man turned wild, panicked eyes on him, and Kurogane froze.

_It was Fai._

Kurogane was so shocked that he loosened his grip and the man tugged free, sprinting away while Kurogane stared after him. No, it couldn't be Fai. Fai was still inside. Just to be sure, he stole a glance through the display window, where Fai could clearly be seen holding up a pink kimono while Melissa dove towards the table of jewelry in search of a matching bracelet.

It wasn't Fai, just someone who looked like him. The more Kurogane thought about it, the more differences his memory conjured up: Fai's hair was lighter, his eyes a more pure shade of blue, his lips fuller. It probably wasn't even a look-alike, like the ones they used to run into all the time, just someone who looked very similar. Coincidence.

Kurogane pushed the incident out of his mind and entered the shop Melissa had told him about. It was darker than the one he had been in, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he sighed. The place was filled from top to bottom with swords, daggers, shuriken, and all sorts of weapons. However, he could tell just by glancing at them that they were all antiques, not reproductions; too old to be useful. They would probably fall apart if he even tried to use one in a fight. He picked some of the shuriken up absently, their edges dulled with age. He dropped them back into their bowl and looked around. The shopkeeper was nowhere to be found.

Kurogane wandered around, picking up a sword here and there and putting it back down after just a few seconds. These were all at least a hundred years old, the wood chipped and splintered, the blades dulled and sometimes rusted. Some of the swords were piece-tied so that they couldn't be drawn and he paused over those, wondering if they were like that because the blades were still sharp. He moved on after a moment though, dismissing the idea.

The shop bell rang and Kurogane looked up to see Melissa enter the store. His eyes narrowed.

"Where's Fai?" he demanded. Melissa looked surprised.

"You mean he's not here? He said he was going to go ahead and find you while-"

Kurogane's eyes widened as he pushed past her, flew out the door and stumbled into the street, looking around desperately. Melissa ran out after him and said something he couldn't understand. He looked at her. "What?"

Melissa frowned.

"I said, he probably just went to find the restroom or something."

"He would have found me first," Kurogane growled, starting to jog down the street. He tried desperately to see over the crowd, searching for the tell-tale glimpse of blonde hair.

"I don't know, but I'm sure he's fine. Just calm down," said Melissa, trailing after him. "By the way, why are we speaking in Japanese? Your English is perfect."

Kurogane stared. Mokona had to be far away for it to not be able to translate what he was saying. And Fai was with it. How could they have gotten so far away so fast?

~X~X~

_~ Ooh, cliffhanger! *giggles* This chapter was supposed to be pure KuroFai fluff until the very end, but it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. Sorry._

_Melissa is half Russian, half Hispanic. She has dark skin. I couldn't figure out how to put that into the story since neither Fai nor Kurogane know what Russia or Spain is. _

_My very busy beta finally got a chance to fix all my mistakes, so this is now beta'd._

_Five reviews for a new chapter! ~_


	5. Connections

Kurogane paced angrily back and forth in the hotel room while Melissa sat on the couch, clutching a pillow and biting her lip. Every now and then Kurogane would stop and stare at the phone as if willing it to ring, then mutter a curse in Japanese when it didn't- which Melissa would echo in English- and start pacing again. They had been like this since six in the morning, when they had finally gotten back from the police department. It hadn't helped that Melissa had dissolved into a nervous wreck on the way there and had barely been able to translate what Kurogane was saying. The moment they had left she had calmed down, though she still seemed worried.

Suddenly, Kurogane stopped and slammed his open palm against the wall with such force that Melissa jumped. _"Kuso!"_

"Shit," repeated Melissa blankly, and bit her thumb. "They aren't going to call. The police are useless."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" roared Kurogane, turning on her. "You already told me this city is too big to search!"

"By yourself," corrected Melissa with a shrug. Her meek demeanor had disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced. She looked Kurogane up and down curiously. "Fai… means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

For a moment, Kurogane froze, staring at her. But then his shoulders slumped and he slid to the ground. "Yes," he whispered. "Yes, he's… very important."

Melissa sighed. "Then I guess… I can help you," she muttered. She pulled out a small, sleek black cell phone, dialed a number with the expert speed that only familiarity brought, and held it up to her ear, waiting.

"Put Tomoyo on," she snapped, her voice heavy with an accent Kurogane didn't recognize, though she still spoke Japanese. He could just make out the voice on the other end.

"She's busy."

"You think I would call her if it weren't important? Tell her it is Me-me." **(A/N: pronounced 'meh-meh', not 'mimi') **There was a short pause while Melissa sat, perfectly poised, studying her nails. Then her eyes lit up. "Tomoyo, darling! It's been too long!" she said in English, then, " Как семья?"

"Хорошо, хорошо. А как ты, дорогая?"

Kurogane could not understand a word the two of them were saying but he thought he heard screaming through the phone. Melissa laughed.

"Чудесно, как всегда. Мне кажется, или я слышу крики? Что ты делаешь?"

"Просто решаю кое-какие дела. Почему ты позвонила? Я думала ты собиралась порвать с нами всякие отношения."

"Собиралась. Кое-что случилось. Окажи мне услугу," said Melissa, smiling. Kurogane stood up and started pacing again.

"Для тебя - все что угодно, Мэ-мэ. Чем могу помочь?"

"Пропал человек.. друг друга. Полиция не поможет."

"Конечно, не поможет. Ты думаешь это что-то большее, чем просто пропавший человек?"

"Да."

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone while Melissa waited for the response.

"… Посмотрим, что я могу сделать. Позвони мне через час."

"Спасибо."

**(A/N: translation at the bottom)**

Melissa snapped the phone shut and looked up at Kurogane, smiling.

"Two hours, tops," she told him. "And then we will search for your friend."

~X~X~

Kurogane was only mildly surprised when an exact duplicate of Princess Tomoyo strode through the door of the cheap diner they had moved to and sat down confidently next to him. She leaned across the table to kiss Melissa on each cheek and then settled down.

"So," began Melissa coolly. "What have you found? Speak in Japanese, darling, or he won't understand you."

"It is definitely a kidnapping," said Tomoyo, voice so heavy with an accent he didn't recognize that her Japanese was barely understandable. **(A/N: Russian accent)** Kurogane tensed. Kidnapping? But then again, it couldn't be anything else. Fai wouldn't have just left him.

"We've barely been here for a few days, what would anyone want with us?"

Tomoyo frowned at him. "You are familiar. You remind me of my brother," she told him, but then continued without waiting for his response. "Five weeks ago, a man was murdered. His name was Fai Flourite."

Kurogane's eyes widened, and Melissa frowned. Tomoyo reached into her purse and brought out a small 3x5 picture, sliding it into the center of the table for them to see. Fai stared up at them, eyes unseeing, blood smeared across his face. Kurogane looked away.

"That looks exactly like-" began Melissa, but Tomoyo held up a hand to silence her.

"He bears a remarkable resemblance to your friend, no? He is not the only one. Fai had a brother, Yuui Flourite. He was the only witness to the crime. They were twins."

"I've heard about that. Wasn't it a gang murder? Yuui is supposed to go on trial as a witness in a few days."

"Yuui knows too much. He is the only solid evidence they have to convict Fei Reed. This Fai must have been important for Reed to have gone after him himself."

"Who's Fei Reed?" demanded Kurogane. Of course he knew who Fei Wang Reed was. He didn't know who he was in _this_ world.

"The leader of a rival gang. Let's say that he's… one of the higher ups, if not the boss," said Melissa.

Rival gang? So the Tomoyo of this world was a gang boss. Interesting. But what did that mean for Fai?

"The Serpent's Tooth cannot have their leader jailed. They will do everything in their power to keep him out of prison. If they believe that your friend is Yuui, and the key to convicting Reed… they will kill him."

~X~X~

_~ Do you believe it? I actually updated. Holy crap._

_I haven't done anything since school started. I'm really sorry. Really, really, REALLY sorry. Winter break is coming up and I'd like to say that I'll be working non-stop on fanfiction, but the truth is, I won't be. You see, as bad as I've been about my fanfictions, I've been neglecting my novel even worse. It really needs a friend right now. So here's my promise to you: despite the projects I have in all my classes, despite color guard practice (I'm practicing to make fall guard; I didn't make winter guard), despite my birthday coming up and the ton of books I should really get around to reading for my book club, I WILL write fanfiction. A LOT. I promise. Until winter break, this will be my sole purpose in life. During winter break, my novel will be my focus and I won't have time to focus on this. So sorry. But, hey- you've got two weeks of updates! *is shot*_

_Now, that means all my stories, not just this one. The Chocolate Shoppe in particular has been sorely neglected. But I'll try my bestest, I promise! :D_

_I would have liked to make this a bit of a mystery, and have them figure it all out bit by bit, but that would take too long and I'm sure you'd all rather skip to the plot and not have to read all that boring figuring-it-out stuff :P_

_Reviews make me write faster ;) ~_

**TRANSLATION:**

"Tomoyo, darling! It's been too long! And how is your family?

"Good, good. And how are you, darling?"

Kurogane could not understand a word the two of them were saying but he thought he heard screaming through the phone. Melissa laughed.

"Wonderful, as always. Is that screaming I hear? What are you doing?"

"Oh, just… taking care of some business. Why have you called? I thought you planned to cut all ties with us."

"That I did. Something came up. I need a favor."

"Anything for you, Me-me. What do you need?"

"A man is missing, a… friend of a friend. The police do not help."

"Of course they don't. You believe there is more to this than just a missing man?"

"Yes."

"… I will see what I can do. Call me in one hour."

"Thank you."

~ Infinite thanks to Shutaka for accurate Russian dialogue~~~ ^^ ~


End file.
